A question identifying V.D. Savarkar as one of the answers to a quiz question on the freedom fighter who received the lengthiest jail term under the British Raj has triggered protests by DYFI and Muslim Students Federation (MSF) in Kasaragod, Kerala, prompting State Education Minister N. Shamsudheen to reportedly seek an explanation from the District Education Officer.
A question has been included in the quiz for lower primary school (LPS) students in Kasaragod, Kerala. It has been seen in the questionnaire distributed among the students of Manjeshwaram–Kumbla–Kasaragod sub-districts (of education).
The question asks for the name of the freedom fighter who got the lengthiest jail term under the British Raj. V.D. Savarkar is one of the objective answers. The incident was reported on August 8.
As expected, DYFI, the youth wing of the CPM, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, have come out with intolerance and protests.
As soon as the protests came out, N. Shamsudheen, the state Education Minister and the leader of the Indian Union Muslim League, has reportedly sought an explanation from the Kasaragod District Education Officer (DEO). The Indian Union Muslim League is the second-largest party in the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
Education Minister said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the Kasaragod quiz controversy. He said the Director of Public Education had been directed to investigate the incident involving the inclusion of historical questions in the quiz competition held in the Kasaragod, Kumbla and Manjeshwaram sub-districts and take strict action against the culprits.
The minister said the competition, organised in these areas under the name ‘Freedom Quiz’ on August 6, was not included in the official activity calendar (Club Activity) of the Education Department or the Social Science Club. Neither the Education Department nor the Social Science Club had instructed anyone to conduct such competitions locally using unofficial questions.
The anti-Savarkarists ignore the historic truth. Any school kid can search Google and see the right answer.
BJP and other Hindu organisations have been alleging that the Indian Union Muslim League calls the shots in the UDF regime. When V.D. Satheeshan, K.C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala were in a tight contest for the hot seat of the Chief Minister after the electoral win in the April elections to the Legislative Assembly, Satheeshan won the race with the support of the Muslim League from within the UDF and alleged outside support of Islamic outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama.
Wayanad parliamentary constituency, from where Priyanka Vadra won the Lok Sabha election, is dominated by the Indian Union Muslim League.
